Project summary/abstract This application requests partial support for a FASEB Scientific Research Conference entitled ?Gastrointestinal Tract XVIII: Integrated Biology and Pathobiology of the GI Super-Organ? that is scheduled for July 28-August 2, 2019 in Steamboat Springs, CO. The meeting will convene a diverse group of speakers, including many women, underrepresented minorities and young investigators, to discuss the biology of the gastrointestinal tract and its dysregulation in the setting of disease. A keynote address plus eight oral sessions will address intestinal morphogenesis and homeostasis, function and plasticity of the enteric nervous system, novel approaches to GI biology, the microbiota-gut-brain axis and brain function, transport physiology, microbial homeostasis, mucosal inflammation and IBD, and cancer. Ample time will be set aside for discussions amongst participants, and the presentation of unpublished data will be prioritized. There will also be two poster sessions as well as several career development activities for early career investigators and trainees, as well as opportunities to promote the visibility of these individuals who represent the future of the field. We have assembled an innovative program with committed participation from leaders with diverse expertise within GI-related research fields. Overall, in an intimate and secluded setting that encourages informal interactions between scientists at all levels, we provide an innovative approach to the exchange of ideas and synthesis of science that will move the field of GI research forward. The conference will have high impact as the program spans basic science discovery to clinical significance for GI health and disease. It is therefore expected that the meeting will provide new insights not only into basic gastrointestinal physiology, neurobiology, developmental biology and microbiology, but also how to treat, and ultimately cure, a wide variety of digestive disease states.